- Franc hits decade highs as risk sentiment deteriorates.
- Yield spike no longer supporting USD/CHF.
- .8450 key for next directional move.
The Swiss franc’s safe haven status has it knocking on the door of fresh decade-highs against the US dollar, benefitting from rising risk aversion ahead of the deadline for Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on around 60 nations, set to be implemented later Wednesday.
Surging longer-dated U.S. Treasury yields are now working against the dollar rather than acting as a tailwind for USD/CHF, fuelling concerns about the functioning of the world’s largest debt market during a period of heightened policy uncertainty. The once-strong relationship with rate differentials has broken down, shifting the focus to price action and risk sentiment as key drivers of USD/CHF direction.
USD/CHF Technical Analysis
Source: TradingView
USD/CHF broke below Monday’s low early in the Asian session before reversing to retest the level, offering a potential two-way setup depending on how near-term price action evolves.
Momentum indicators like RSI (14) and MACD are strongly trending lower, favouring a bearish bias. However, with RSI now deeply oversold and signs of selling fatigue emerging in other risk assets, it may be more prudent to place greater weight on price action than momentum signals in the current environment.
0.8450 is the level to watch in the near term. A move back above may mark a false break, tempting bulls to target a squeeze, with long positions considered above the level and stops placed below for protection. Potential upside targets include 0.8617 and 0.8711.
If the pair remains beneath 0.8450, shorts could be established with a stop above the level. Downside levels to watch include 0.8400, 0.8375, and 0.8333. A clean break of the latter would leave little visible technical support until below 0.7442—the lows struck during the unwind of the SNB’s EUR/CHF peg in early 2015.